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 After
Life by
Michael Brown,
What happens when we die? How are we judged? What's it like in Heaven, Hell,
and Purgatory ? Revelations, near-death accounts, and a reawakening to what
life means! A hopeful book, a serious book, one that you and loved ones
won't forget as you take a look at the final destination: eternity. We
strongly recommend "An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory," available
below (revelations of nun
in purgatory). Year after year the steadiest-selling book that we have ever
carried, full of hope!
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The archives:
FROM A MYSTERIOUS PAINTING COMES A DEVOTION TO
'MARY, UNDOER OF KNOTS'
As Mary once said at a very famous apparition site,
"In prayer you shall perceive the greatest joy -- and the way
out of every situation that has no exit."
Think of those words. Don't you often find yourself in a situation that "has no
exit"? How many times have you run into problems that seem to offer no
positive outcome? Have you ever painted yourself into a corner?
There's a fascinating painting that pertains to this and has been venerated in
a
church in Perlach, Germany, since 1700. It was painted by an unknown
artist and apparently inspired by a meditation made by
St. Irenaeus -- who once said: "Eve, by her disobedience, tied the knot
of disgrace for the human race; to the contrary, Mary, by her obedience, undid
it."
There
we have it. Mary,
Undoer of Knots. Now that's a title for her! Mary, help when
there is no way out. And in fact it is the subject of a little novena pamphlet. As
the pamphlet explains, the image
shows Mary with a crown of 12 stars and a fluttering blue mantle. Around her are angels.
Beneath her feet is the serpent -- the one
who ensnares and entangles.
The point: when Mary is invoked, she untangles our knots and it is then
the
serpent [see left] who is tangled (whatever the novena)!
As is also readily observed, one of the angels
in the painting holds the ribbon
of your life as the Blessed Mother calmly and
easily goes about straightening out all the knots in it.
A mysterious and beautiful image this is! Usually we think of
the knots in our lives as particular troubling situations, but they are
also problems we have had for years, perhaps deep hurts between husband and wife, anger, resentment,
sinful inclinations, the absence of peace and joy at home.
This, apparently, is where Mary Undoer
(or "untier") of Knots comes in.
A knot can be a son addicted to drugs. It can be alcoholism. It
can be guilt. It can be fear or depression or unemployment.
Ironically, there are those who
have claimed a miracle by which rosaries become entwined as if manufactured
together (see below). It occurred at the aforementioned apparition site.
Is this related?
The point is that Mary comes to our aid in many circumstances.
"Knots are original sin and its consequences in all areas of family, work, and
community life," points out this tiny pamphlet. In
the painting, we see that while one angel hands the Blessed Mother a knotted
ribbon, another to her right is taking the untangled part and perhaps preparing
to return to earth below with it.
In the darkness of earth is seen a person who is led by an angel
to a church at the top of a mountain. This, says one interpretation, is the
Archangel Raphael who accompanies Tobias to meet Sarah, the one chosen to be his
wife. Sarah is unburdened from a great "knot" which blocks her happiness. "By
the mediation of the Archangel Raphael, God unites Sarah to Tobias, showing us
that humility, trust, and faith in God is what moves the Divine Hands in our
lives," says the explanation for the mysterious art. "This extraordinary story is
present in this painting to show us that 'Mary the Undoer of Knots' grants
innumerable graces to matrimony and powerfully intercedes for the reconciliation
of families."
When Raphael is involved, there is healing!
Again we hear an echo of the
words: "In prayer you shall perceive the greatest joy and the way out of
every situation that has no exit."
Think of it: even when
intellectually we can't figure out a resolution or means of escape, God can turn
things around in such a way that there is a sudden opening and there are angels
and we are suddenly saved.
Is the novena infallible, as
claimed? Well, perfect faith -- prayer with perfect faith -- is infallible. That
much (with perfect certainty) we can say!
[resources: novena booklet
Mary Undoer of Knots
and Mary Take Over!
[And notes a reader: "The article on the
painting of Mary undoer of knots has possibly another interpretation.
The prayer shawl of the Jews and of Jesus had
and have two tzitzit or knotted ropes in the front. When the woman touched
the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed, it was this tzitzit that the woman
touched... These two fringes
are knotted in a special way and are were the
conduit of God's healing and man's prayers..."
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